Science Fiction Setting
This Science Fiction Setting can be played during multiple eras, and focuses mainly on humans and their place in the universe. Time Line The different points on this time line describe how human history advanced in this setting. TBA Species The different Species of importance in this setting 'Humans' Humans are the most important species in this setting, differing from other sapient species by having a depht to their creativity and individuality not found among other species. While slower and less agile than a Xeng'li, the humans do not depend on water to retain their mobility. While rarely psionically active and extremely short-lived compared to the Alamari, humans leave bigger foot-prints in the wake of history as they pursue legacy. While not as tough, strong or ferocious as a Gromar, human perseverance, creativity and willingness to risk everything for victory has proven them the far more dangerous combatant. 'Anatomy' Human anatomy should be something the reader is familiar with... 'Mutations' Humans willingly subject themselves to extensive gene-therapy and manipulation in order to obtain mutations, but notable or useful mutations rarely occur among humans. Apart from the Gromar, there is no other species that willingly accepts 'Cybernetic Aptitute' Humans are, second only to the Gromar, the most suited species to receive cybernetic augmentations. 'Psionic Potential' All humans register faintly as psionically active, but only one in a hundred seems to have the necessary aptitude to use psionic powers. This is, however, a rather high number, a shared second-place with the Gromar, second only to the Alamari. 'Alamari' The Alamari are a mysterious species that are psionically awakened by nature (though most are somewhat weak). They number only in the millions, but tend to live incredibly long lives (into the millennia). Shrouded in mystery, the Alamari are the brains behind the Milkyway Coalition, and the only living species that still carries actual memories and history of the original Exarchs. 'Gromar' The Gromar are a species of enormous reptilian humanoids that are impossibly tough. The Gromar typically live very short lives due to their bestial natures and tendencies to fight anything that can be fought (and sometimes things that can't, when they run out of other things). Gromar do not generally obtain sapience and intelligence until they have lived for a few hundred years, and few survive that long. 'Xanu' The Xanu are an insectoid species, preferring colder climates, dextro DN and subtereanean life-styles. The Xanu are not unlike humanoid ants, in that they have a faint hive-mind that seems to guide their species towards a collective goal, and the individuals have fairly limited individuality. Interstellar Travel The means to interstellar travel in this setting, is mainly through a form of technology known as "warp" technology, which comes in a number of iterations. While early "warp engines" were called "hyper-drives" and it was believed that they functioned completely differently, it was later discovered that all Warp technology functions in the same way, though yield somewhat different results. Hyper-Drive A Hyper-Drive permits a vessel to phase into Hyper-Space, a dimension in which the physical limitations of what kinds of speeds can be achieved are drastically different, and where time flows in a different way and the concept of space is completely different. This results in dramatically reduced travel time, allowing a vessel to travel a minimum of 5 light-years per day. Hyper-Drives require a large energy signature to target, and as such, they are best used to travel between solar-systems. Hyper-Drives are particularly effective when utilized along "hyper-lanes", which are specific routes through space that typically pass by incredibly many celestial objects and in Hyper-Space, this causes some sort of effect that greatly speeds the travel. It would later be discovered that the use of Hyper-Lanes was just an early and serendipitous means of utilizing warp-technology before it was discovered. When traveling along hyper-lanes, even a small ship can travel from one end of the Milkyway Galaxy, to the other in a mere week. Warp-Relays Warp-Technology came some time after the invention of the Hyper-Drive, but was initially far too complex to install on a ship. By studying Hyper-Space, it was discovered how to best take advantage of the differing laws of physics across the two realms, and a Warp-Computer essentially performs these calculations, based on manual input based on observations made with complex equipment. The introduction of Warp-technology made it ever so much more important to train navigators in the complex arts of Warp-navigation, which is an ever evolving field. The Warp-Relays are automated space-stations that interface with a Hyper-Drive Engine and a Navigational Computer, permitting a Navigator to up-load simulated calculations made on the Navigational Computer and have them executed by the Relay that essentially programs the Hyper-Drive to perform as desired, as such eliminating the need for Hyper-Lanes. It is possible to use a Warp-Relay without a Navigational Computer and without a Navigator, but survival at that point would be based on luck, as one could emerge in a star. Humans initially appeared right outside the Xeng'li homeworld after pulling such a stunt, when they initially found a Warp-relay. While warp-relays could reasonably be reproduced, this hasn't been done on any large scale and the existing relays were built and left behind by the Exarchs. Warp-Drive Warp-Drives were invented later and essentially package the ability to enter Warp into a Hyper-Drive, eliminating the need to use Relays. Warp-Drives are absolutely enormous and cannot be fitted on smaller vessels. Jump-Gates Jump-Gates are the most mysterious and elusive kind of interstellar travel technology, utilizing barely understood psionic principles to teleport a vessel from one location to another. The disadvantage of Jump-Gates is that it can only target other Jump-Gates. The Alamari have successfully activated a Jump-Gate, left behind by the Exarchs, and used it to target another Jump-Gate in the Andromeda Galaxy. It is assumed that there are Jump-Gates in other Galaxies as well, but incredibly little is known about Jump-Gates.